Cigarette package



June 28, 1932. H STRAUS 1,864,873

CIGARETTE PACKAGE Filed Oct. 12. 1929 INVENTOR,

. Harrg HSrraus BY K HIS ATT EYS remiss June 28, 1932 1,864,873

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY H. STRAUS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CIGARETTE PACKAGE Application filed October 12, 1929. Serial No. 399,204.

This invention relates to an improved tion to combine with a cheap, light weight package made up of thin fibrous material paper package a stifl'ening means which will with little or no inherent stiffness such as be inexpensive to produce and apply to the paper, thin cardboard, tinfoil or a combinapackage and which will furnish suflicient retion of these and has for an object to comsistance to preserve the contents of the packbine with such package a stiffener made of age until the contents are entirely consumed.

' cardboard or similar material which will I have shown my invention as embodied in serve to stifien the package or container to a package of cigarettes but do not wish to prevent distortion thereof and injury to the be limited to cigarettes or tobacco roducts,

10 contents, and is at the same time so shape-d inasmuch as this particular style 0 package and cut and combined with the package and may be utilized for many commodities. contents thereof as to form a convenient I have also shown the aperture or opening means to aid in tearing an opening in the in one corner of the package as this seems package which will possess a regular conto be. a convenient way of extracting the cig- 5 figuration pleasing to the eye and a convenarettes, but I wish it to be understood that ient means for extracting the contents. some other part of a package may be torn Articles which are sold for a nominal price 01f if desirable when this invention is used are often placed in paper packages which with other commodities. insufliciently protect the articles themselves Further features and objects of the inven- 0 against crushing or other forms of distortion. tion will be more fully understood from the For instance, in packaging the more popular following detail description of the accombrands of cigarettes, a paper and tinfoil panying drawing, in which cover is used to protect the contents. When Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a package the package is full, and before it is opened, of cigarettes embodying my invention and 25 the cigarettes themselves, because they are closed and sealed as it would be sold to a tightly bundled together ofier some resistretail customer in atobacco shop. ance to crushing and distortion, but even Fig. 2.is aperspective view illustrating the under these conditions this resistance is not removal of the corner of the package by y g t and Often the OOIlteIltS are Crushed utilizing the cardboard stiffening member so or broken before the package is opened. b di h i After part of the contents have been removed Fi g. 3 1s a perspective vlew of the package t reslstahce of tlghtly packed bundle after one corner thereof has been removed. is redhceh to the heslstahce of a few loosely Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the stifi'ening 35 ggxi g igd eggzeitiees aai eppegegriogfiegngfl gi member itself which is adaptedto be placed or ggs they maybe are: arias-5,3253%: en ire y consume y e user.

Because of this undesirable condition, cert 5 1s a front elevahoh with part of the outslde coverlng cut away to show the relatain manufacturers have been quite successful in marketing stiff leather receptacles for E posltlonof the tm'foll covermg stlfien" 9o mg member and outer cover.

receiving a package of ci arettes and which serve to protect the cigar ettes until the last Looklng at the dmWmg and especlal'ly at one is consumed, but these receptacles are t-1 IHUStE'atBS Package of clgerettes heavy and inconvenient to carry and use. embodying my lnventlon and com rising an Manufacturers of the more expensive outer covering 2, a stlifenmg mem er 3, and brands overcome this difiiculty by selling a tinfoilinner cover 4 wlth-the usual revtheir cigarettes in cardboard boxes, but these enue stamp 5 placed so as to seal the package boxes are too expensive to be commercially or container.

w practicable for the more popular brands, and The cigarettes are wrapped in the tinfoil so it is still a further object of this invencover lin the usual manner but as this process forms no part of the present invention it will not be described.

Upon the outside of the tinfoil cover a stiffener 3 is placed. This stiffener may be made of a light cardboard for instance, and com prises a bottom portion 7 of the same length as the length of the bottom of the package of cigarettes, two side wall portions 8 and 9 turned up therefrom and a top portion 10. As will be seen in Fig. 4, the top of side portion 8 is cut diagonally downward from an upper corner thereof, as shown along line 12. Top portion 10 is not as long as the bottom portion 7 and will extend only part way across the top of the package of cigarettes. As best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, it extends a trifle. more than half way across. After the stiflen ing member is applied around the tinfoil cover 4, the outer covering 2 is applied around the tinfoil cover 4, the outer covering 2 is applied to the outside of the tinfoil cover and stiffening member. This outer covering is usually made of paper and has printed thereon information such as names, trademarks, guarantees, and instructions.

Finally, after the application of the outside cover 2 the revenue stamp 5 is applied to seal the tinfoil cover, stiffening member and outer cover in place. The outer cover 2 is similar to the covers now in use for packaging cigarettes except that one corner thereof, such as the upper corner nearest to the observer, as seen in Fig. 1, is cut away by removing a triangular'piece from the upper left hand corner of the front side of cover 2 and an adjacent triangular piece from the upper right hand corner of the adjacent side which is illustrated in Fig. 1. This would mean the removal of a triangular notch from the cover 2 when it is in sheet form before application to the package of cigarettes.

The purchaser of the package may open the tinfoil cover to make an aperture in the package by lifting flap 15 and tearing through revenue stamp 5 to edge 16 of the stiffener 3, then forwardly along edge 16 to the front upper edge of the package as viewed in the drawing and downline 13 to its junction with line 12. Flap 17 is nowuncovered and may be lifted and torn backwardly through the revenue stamp along edge 16 to rear edge 18 and then along edge 18 to line 12 and down line 12 to line 13 where the tinfoil may be entirely disengaged. Of course there are other ways of removing this tinfoil cover and I have described only one convenient method.

The stiffening member is also advantageous in holding in place the cigarettes which are packed between top 10 and bottom 7 after the package has been opened and the cigarettes immediately below the opening removed because the remaining cigarettes stay wedged between the flap 10 and bottom 7 and will not slide out under the opening to be lost or broken. In fact a sharp tap is generally necessary to loosen the cigarettes sufiiciently to allow them to fall out and by proper regulation of the intensity of the tap one or two cigarettes may be disengaged to fall forward to the opening while the remainder stay in place under the top 10 when they are fully protected.

The result of this construction is a cigarette package or container of suflicient stiffness and strength to prevent distortion of the cigarettes before the package is opened and after it has been opened, but in addition means are provided for enabling the purchaser to quickly and easily make a neat and convenient opening for removal of the cigarettes without entirely opening up one side of the package, but instead only a part of one side so that sufficient of the package and stiffener is retained to protect the cigarettes even until the last one is consumed.

Whereas, I have described my invention by reference to specific forms thereof, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim 1. A package comprising in combination material possessing little inherent stiffness,

said material extending substantially about four sides and the top end of the package, stiffening member associated with and on the exterior of said material and extending at one side, thence'across the bottom, thence at another side, and thence from one edge of the top end toward but spaced from the opposite edge of the top end, the terminal edge of said stiffening member at one side. extending at an angle to the direction of extension of said opposite edge of the top end, said terminal edge serving to define the path of tearing of said material of little inherent stiffness when torn by grasping the same adjacent said opposite edge, and means for securing said stiffening member to said material of little inherent stiffness.

2. A package comprising in combination material possessing little inherent stiffness, said material extending substantially about four sides and the top end of the package, stiffening member associated with and on the exterior of said material and extending at one side, thence across the bottom, thence at another side, and thence from one edge of the top end toward but spaced from the opposite edge of the top end, the terminal edge of said stiffening member at its top end portion be-' ing substantially parallel to said opposite edge, said terminal edge serving to define the path of tearing of said material of little inherent stiffness when torn by grasping the same adjacent said opposite edge. and means for securing said stiffening member to said material of little inherent stiffness. Y

3. A package comprising in combination material possessing little inherent stiffness,

said material extending substantially about four sides and the top end of the package, stifl'ening member associated with and on the exterior of said material and extending at one side, thence across the bottom, theme at another side, and thence from one edge of the top end toward but spaced from the opposite edge of the top end, the terminal edge of said stifiening member at one side extending at an angle to the direction'oi extension of said 0 posite edge of the top end, said terminal e e serving to define the path of tearing of said material of little inherent stiffness when torn by grasping the same adjacent said opposite edge, and material possessing little inherent stifiness sur- Igounding and securing said stifl'ening mem- 4. A package comprising in combination material possessing little inherent stifl'ness, said material extending substantially about four sides and the top end of the package, stiffening member associated with and on the exterior of said material and extending at one side, thence across the bottom, thence at another side, and thence from one edge of the top end toward but spaced from the opposite edge of the top end, the terminal edge of said stifi'ening member at its top end portion being substantially parallel to said opposite edge, said terminal edge serving to define the path of tearing of said material of little inherent stifiness when torn by grasp ing the same adjacent said opposite edge, and material possessing little inherent stifiness surrounding and securing said stifi'ening member.

Intestimony whereof I have signed this specification this 10th day of October, 1929.

HARRY H. STRAUS. 

